Thunderstorms &
Lightning On The Golf Course
When thunderstorms and lightning interrupts your golf game you should heed golf course warning systems and get off the course........and please don't try to weather out the storm under a tree.
Golf Courses throughout the country have installed lightning detection devices to help them determine if it is dangerous to be on the golf course.
Lightning is a severe hazard that must be viewed seriously.
When a bolt of lightning flashes across the sky players must immediately stop play and seek shelter even if a signal has not been sounded.
Golf courses equipped with warning systems will sound the suspension of play that included one to three prolonged blast on a horn.
The main detection unit is usually on the clubhouse roof or porch balcony and some golf facilities have a second horn located by the Greens Maintenance building.
Golf course clubhouse personnel we talked to request that after hearing the warning blast that all players immediately leave the course and return to the clubhouse.
Many golf courses also have posted safety warning recommendation signs in the clubhouse that advise golfers during thunderstorm and lighning conditions to keep a safe distance from tall objects such as trees, hilltops and telephone poles and avoid projecting above the surrounding landscape.
If you can't make it to the clubhouse golfers during these storm should seek shelter in low lying areas such as valleys, ditches and depressions and it's very important to stay away from water and objects that conduct electricity such as tractors, golf carts, metal fences and lawnmowers.
Avoid being the highest point in an open area and the swinging of a golf club or holding an umbrella can make you the tallest object and a target for lightning.
At one of our outings at the Fallsburg Municipal Tarry Brae Golf Course on Pleasant Valley Road in South Fallsburg we arrived there with a weather report in our hands that showed "a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms after 2 p.m".
Golf Professional Glenn Sonnenschein was johnny on the spot as we walked into his office where he was viewing that day's weather activity on the Internet Doppler Radar.
The Roscoe Twin Village Golf Club last year installed an alarm that is triggered by clubhouse personnel and gives three blasts on a speaker that is mounted high on the outside porch section of the deck closest to the golf course.
Twin Village Board of Directors Treasurer Chuck Husson said, "this has become an important safety issue and we also can use the system to talk over the system to golfers on the course.
"It helps us clear the golf course when lighting and thunderstorms arrive on the course," Husson noted.
Golf Professional Bob Menges at the Swan Lake Golf & Country Club said "we do track storm on the computer and we use wunderground and intellicast.
Swan Lake also uses a horn that blows a warning to get people off the course "and if need be we will go get them off before the storm hits," Menges noted.
Ed's Outlook
Wow....... where has this summer gone....... hard to believe we are already in the second week of August and in a couple of weeks many golf leagues will be over for 2014.
September and early October provide decent weather for fall golf leagues but these leagues also require early starting times because of shorter daylight hours......a late Saturday morning golf league could work and we are somewhat surprised that local golf courses don't suggest this.
One of the entertainers preceding the July 27 Toby Keith show at Bethel Woods featured Colt Brown who definitely attracted the "Red Neck" crowd with his rap and down to earth country music but it was more interesting to learn that prior to getting into country music Colt was a former professional golfer who played on the Nationwide Tour.....it was a little difficult putting the professional golfer and rap and country music entertainer together as the same person.
A golfer who I have known for many years was talking to me recently and he noted that he had been shopping in a Dick's Sports Goods store and that one of the sales reps told him that the game of golf is declining much faster then one thinks and that the game has lost over 400,000 participants last year.
We are attempting to follow this information up and hopefully will be able to confirm these stated facts with additional information in one of our future columns.
Ed Townsend is a PR consultant to the sport of golf. Ed writes and compiles the information for this column. If you have league and tournament information, shoot a hole-in-one or even score your age, let Ed know at 845-439-8177 or 845-866-0333, email at edwardctownsend@hotmail.com or fax at 845-205-4474. View this column and all of Ed's pictures at http://bght.blogspot.com We are also on Facebook and Twitter.
The Golf Tip
When thunderstorms and lightning interrupts your golf game you should heed golf course warning systems and get off the course........and please don't try to weather out the storm under a tree.
Golf Courses throughout the country have installed lightning detection devices to help them determine if it is dangerous to be on the golf course.
Lightning is a severe hazard that must be viewed seriously.
When a bolt of lightning flashes across the sky players must immediately stop play and seek shelter even if a signal has not been sounded.
Golf courses equipped with warning systems will sound the suspension of play that included one to three prolonged blast on a horn.
The main detection unit is usually on the clubhouse roof or porch balcony and some golf facilities have a second horn located by the Greens Maintenance building.
Golf course clubhouse personnel we talked to request that after hearing the warning blast that all players immediately leave the course and return to the clubhouse.
Many golf courses also have posted safety warning recommendation signs in the clubhouse that advise golfers during thunderstorm and lighning conditions to keep a safe distance from tall objects such as trees, hilltops and telephone poles and avoid projecting above the surrounding landscape.
If you can't make it to the clubhouse golfers during these storm should seek shelter in low lying areas such as valleys, ditches and depressions and it's very important to stay away from water and objects that conduct electricity such as tractors, golf carts, metal fences and lawnmowers.
Avoid being the highest point in an open area and the swinging of a golf club or holding an umbrella can make you the tallest object and a target for lightning.
At one of our outings at the Fallsburg Municipal Tarry Brae Golf Course on Pleasant Valley Road in South Fallsburg we arrived there with a weather report in our hands that showed "a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms after 2 p.m".
Golf Professional Glenn Sonnenschein was johnny on the spot as we walked into his office where he was viewing that day's weather activity on the Internet Doppler Radar.
The Doppler system showed storms west of the Buffalo area and Glenn
felt comfortable that it would be a pleasant day on the golf course with the
beautiful sunshine we were experiencing at the time of our arrival. .
Glenn remarked that this radar predicting system has become a "valuable tool in golf course management and if we are aware of severe weather and thunderstorms we send people right out on the course to get golfers back to the clubhouse."
Glenn remarked that this radar predicting system has become a "valuable tool in golf course management and if we are aware of severe weather and thunderstorms we send people right out on the course to get golfers back to the clubhouse."
Glen at the Computer
The Roscoe Twin Village Golf Club last year installed an alarm that is triggered by clubhouse personnel and gives three blasts on a speaker that is mounted high on the outside porch section of the deck closest to the golf course.
Twin Village Board of Directors Treasurer Chuck Husson said, "this has become an important safety issue and we also can use the system to talk over the system to golfers on the course.
"It helps us clear the golf course when lighting and thunderstorms arrive on the course," Husson noted.
Golf Professional Bob Menges at the Swan Lake Golf & Country Club said "we do track storm on the computer and we use wunderground and intellicast.
Swan Lake also uses a horn that blows a warning to get people off the course "and if need be we will go get them off before the storm hits," Menges noted.
Ed's Outlook
Wow....... where has this summer gone....... hard to believe we are already in the second week of August and in a couple of weeks many golf leagues will be over for 2014.
September and early October provide decent weather for fall golf leagues but these leagues also require early starting times because of shorter daylight hours......a late Saturday morning golf league could work and we are somewhat surprised that local golf courses don't suggest this.
One of the entertainers preceding the July 27 Toby Keith show at Bethel Woods featured Colt Brown who definitely attracted the "Red Neck" crowd with his rap and down to earth country music but it was more interesting to learn that prior to getting into country music Colt was a former professional golfer who played on the Nationwide Tour.....it was a little difficult putting the professional golfer and rap and country music entertainer together as the same person.
A golfer who I have known for many years was talking to me recently and he noted that he had been shopping in a Dick's Sports Goods store and that one of the sales reps told him that the game of golf is declining much faster then one thinks and that the game has lost over 400,000 participants last year.
We are attempting to follow this information up and hopefully will be able to confirm these stated facts with additional information in one of our future columns.
Ed Townsend is a PR consultant to the sport of golf. Ed writes and compiles the information for this column. If you have league and tournament information, shoot a hole-in-one or even score your age, let Ed know at 845-439-8177 or 845-866-0333, email at edwardctownsend@hotmail.com or fax at 845-205-4474. View this column and all of Ed's pictures at http://bght.blogspot.com We are also on Facebook and Twitter.
The Golf Tip
By Robert
Menges
How To Attack Buried Bunker Lies
To blast the ball out of the sand, your club needs
to swing more up and down to create a steeper angle of attack.
To help illustrate, have someone stand (picture a wall) several
feet behind the ball. In the backswing, hinge your wrists early to get the club
up more, avoiding the person (or wall).
Also make note of the length of the backswing. It should almost be
a full swing. In order to create enough speed and energy to blast the ball out
of the sand, avoid taking a short and/or low backswing.
From this position, you will be able to swing the club into the
sand on the downswing. It's imperative that you strike down into the sand 1 to 2
inches behind the ball and finish with the club low to the ground.
Amateur golfers often try to scoop or help lift the ball out of
sand and this usually results in the club hitting the sand too far behind the
ball and either missing it completely or taking too much sand and leaving the
ball in the bunker. Or, the club misses the sand and strikes the top of the
ball, resulting in a topped shot that can go anywhere.
Robert Menges is the head golf professional at
the Swan Lake Golf & Country Club, Mt. Hope Road, Swan Lake. He is available
for private lessons and if you have a question or subject you would like
covered, he can be reached by phone at 292-0323 or via email at menges@hughes.net
Putting Tip
By Joe Bermel Jr.
Using Your Eyes
Outstanding putters use their eyes in many ways for maximum benefit.
The key to proper alignment is seeing with your eyes the 2 imaginary lines, one between the ball and the hole (target line) and the other imaginary line formed at the ends of your toes, parallel to the target line.
Now you are in correct alignment to your intended target and as a Professional Putting Expert instructing for 28 years if you follow this tip you will see more of your putts dropping in the cup.
Joe is available for private lessons, group, corporate, organizations and golf shows/tournaments. His special edition DVD "How To Putt Well and his 2014 Putting Tips Calendar are available by calling 631-589-1384, at his web site www.ThePuttingDoctor.com or by email at joe@theputtingdoctor.com
Putting Tip
By Joe Bermel Jr.
Using Your Eyes
Outstanding putters use their eyes in many ways for maximum benefit.
The key to proper alignment is seeing with your eyes the 2 imaginary lines, one between the ball and the hole (target line) and the other imaginary line formed at the ends of your toes, parallel to the target line.
Now you are in correct alignment to your intended target and as a Professional Putting Expert instructing for 28 years if you follow this tip you will see more of your putts dropping in the cup.
Joe is available for private lessons, group, corporate, organizations and golf shows/tournaments. His special edition DVD "How To Putt Well and his 2014 Putting Tips Calendar are available by calling 631-589-1384, at his web site www.ThePuttingDoctor.com or by email at joe@theputtingdoctor.com
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